What God Can Do With A Heartfelt Yes

Advent is a season filled with expectation. Expectations of family visits, gifts selected with great care, that special meal, Christmas Eve services and more. But What about the unexpected? In the blink of an eye, your life can change dramatically.

It sure happened that way on that first Christmas. Oh, the world including Mary was anticipating a Saviour. They had been waiting for His arrival for centuries.

Mary Did You Know?

There is a popular Christmas song that asks, “Mary Did You Know?.” It queries if Mary knew the significance, attributes, and actions of the child to whom she has just given birth.

Mary knew the prophecies including the fact that the long awaited promised one would be born of a virgin. She just didn’t expect that virgin to be her.

One day this young girl is going about her daily chores, maybe dreaming of her approaching wedding day and suddenly BOOM! There stands an angel greeting her and telling her she is favored and not to be afraid.

I don’t know about you, but if that happened to me, I think I would have jumped out of my skin. But not Mary. Although scripture tells us, the encounter confused her, the response of this young girl who was somewhere around 12 years old is incredible. As we read the story in Luke 1:26-56 we learn that Mary’s reaction was to ponder what Gabriel said and try to understand what it all meant.

Mary Said Yes!

After hearing all Gabriel has to say Mary responds with maybe the most heartfelt yes ever uttered. “Mary said, ‘I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.’ And then the angel disappeared.” Luke 1:38 TLB

Wow! What trust! Yes, Gabriel told Mary about the baby she would bear and that He was to be the savior. So she knew who He was, but she didn’t know all the details. She said yes anyway.

In the culture of Mary’s day, a woman’s value rested in her virginity. A virgin becoming pregnant would raise doubts, ridicule, and exile. Everything was on the line for Mary. But she said yes anyway.

She trusted God completely. Without knowing every little detail, she was willing to risk everything to obey. She said yes to the purpose and plan God had for her life.

A Space For God To Inhabit

At the moment of her yes, Mary became a space for God to inhabit. The great I AM within her.

We read the story, and it reminds us how blessed she was. But do you understand that we can be a space for God to inhabit too?

You see, just like Mary God has a plan and a purpose for our life. He wants to inhabit us. No, we won’t give birth to the baby Jesus. That was Mary’s purpose. Ours will be different.

But you can rest assured that God wants to take hold of us and have a relationship with us. We simply need to receive Him.

In those hard and unexpected moments of life, we need to trust and say yes to Him. And when we say yes in heartfelt trust, watch out! He will work in, and through us, in ways, we could never have imagined. This Christmas receive the gift of a surrendered yes to be a space for God.

In these remaining days of Advent make space. Let the last of the trimming go. Slow your pace, let the buying and the preparations stop for just a brief moment. Take a deep breath. Read Luke 1:26-56 with fresh eyes and listen to Pentatonix as they sing Mary did you Know? Ask God what it is He wants to do in and through you and when He answers say yes!

What hard and unexpected thing has turned your world upside down? Where is God most daring you to trust Him right now?

I’m a writer and storyteller. Each week I write about and invite readers to join me on an extraordinary adventure to discover and embrace the unique story God has penned for each of us.

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3 thoughts on “What God Can Do With A Heartfelt Yes”

I love your message that God wants to inhabit us and has a very important plan and purpose for our lives. But we have to open our hearts and minds to His will. That is our biggest challenge in this life.